Seal Up Your Building Envelope

Did you know that, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, about 30% of a home's heating energy is lost through windows? With winter just around the corner, Walking Mountains is bringing you energy savings tips for the entire month of November. This is a great opportunity to reduce your environmental footprint while also saving some serious money. This week we are talking about building envelopes. A “building envelope” refers to the external walls, windows, roof, and floor of a building (Source: U.S. Department of Energy).

While our tips focus on easy changes that you can make in your home today, we also encourage you to consider larger energy efficiency improvements or projects for your home. If you have any energy efficiency questions or if you would like to schedule an Energy Smart Colorado or CARE income qualified home energy audit with Walking Mountains Science Center, call 970.328.8777 or connect with an Energy Coach at Walking Mountains.

Three tips for what you can do:

1.) Install weather stripping around your doors and windows. This is an easy and low-cost project that will reduce heat transfer through your building envelope and reduce your energy demands.  

2.) Insulate your attic. For most people with attics, their attic access will be either in a hallway or closet inside the home. This means that warm air from the home can easily move into the attic. Consider adding an attic hatch or other insulating means to help prevent heat loss into your attic.

3.) Add or switch to insulated cellular shade blinds. This is another cost-effective building envelope retrofit that will help you keep warm in the winter and cool in the summer.